XPN Fest Recap: Mt. Joy is a Silver Lining among other Marina Stage performances

Mt. Joy | photo by Natalie Piserchio | nataliepiserchio.com

L.A.-via-Philly up-and-comers Mt. Joy played the second slot on the Marina Stage for the last day of XPN Fest, and their set was vibey and wild and enigmatic. It was all over the board in the best way. These guys are sort of chameleon rockers – each song is so different from the last, but still fits in the pocket of indie soul folk if you had to categorize their sound.

To start off their set, they played crowd favorite “Big Foot,” which instantly sent my mind to U2. It had that same sort of BIG sound and drawn out vocals, which made it the perfect opener. Then they shifted gears and played “Julia,” and the vibe was instantly like a bluesier Black Keys. Their set list was totally varied, exciting, and even featured a sample of the classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” as a sweet transition.

I was waiting for “Sheep,” one of my favorite radio hits of theirs, and I got it. It was totally ethereal and earnest and frontman Matt Quinn killed it on the vocals. Of course, they ended on the real radio hit, “Silver Lining” off of their 2018 self-titled release. It was undoubtedly everyone’s favorite, and it went without question that the Marina Stage lawn was filled to capacity.

If you waited all three days of XPN Fest to see Mt. Joy, then your patience paid off. They were tight and together in every sense of the word, so fun to watch on stage. They’ll be back in Philadelphia on September 14th to play Union Transfer; details on that show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Below, check out a gallery of photos, the setlist, and listen to an audio archive of the concert.

Setlist
Bigfoot
Julia
I’m Your Wreck
Dirty Love
Jenny Jenkins
Astrovan
Ruins
Sheep
Silver Lining